A Word from the Director
Elaine Roman, TIPTOP Project Director
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Bending the curve on malaria in pregnancy (MiP) requires commitment to reach the ‘hardest to reach’ pregnant women who may not otherwise have access to medicines to prevent MiP. In each of the project countries, TIPTOP is working to introduce and expand community intermittent preventive treatment during pregnancy (C-IPTp). National Malaria Control Programs and National Reproductive Health Programs, along with key stakeholders, are championing this ‘no missed opportunities’ approach. This matters because C-IPTp aims to increase coverage for pregnant women and contribute to a healthier pregnancy for both the woman and her baby. This issue of TIPTopics focuses on our project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where coverage for pregnant women is low. Maria Matondo’s work in DRC underscores the value of community health workers (CHWs) and their important role to protect women and their babies. We celebrate Maria and all the other CHWs, recognizing their value and commitment to the communities they support.
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When Everything Stops:
A Story from DRC
Malaria is a fact of life in Mbambamu, a town in the southwestern Kwango district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Angela had malaria just last year — but the disease becomes much more dire in pregnancy.
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“We tell them to come. Some just forget. Sometimes they don’t have money for transport to come, and sometimes they are too busy with their other children, or they’re working. Or often, they will have children who are sick, so they must look after them.”
Community Health Worker Maria Matondo speaking about the barriers for women seeking antenatal care at the local health facility. Photo by Kate Holt/Jhpiego
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TIPTeam
Meet some of the TIPTOP team members from Jhpiego and ISGlobal
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Linda Fogarty
Senior Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research, Jhpiego
I've been working for Jhpiego since: 2002.
My role on TIPTOP is: To support strong evidence and good communication and coordination on the monitoring and research side of the project.
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Florent Kalenga
Malaria Technical Advisor, Jhpiego DRC
I realized I wanted to work in global health when: I became aware that the optimal functioning of the health system in my country depended on global level funding and the DRC's contribution to the global agenda, particularly with regard to health issues related to morbidity and maternal, neonatal, infant and adolescent mortality.
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Franco Pagnoni
Technical Director, ISGlobal
The thing about TIPTOP that excites me most is: Testing an innovative strategy to improve a fundamental health problem for women and children.
In my spare time I like to: Do photography and take motorcycle rides.
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Mambwene, who is pregnant with her second child, attends an antenatal care session at Mbambamu Health Center, DRC where she will be given her first dose of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp), 3 tablets of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), to prevent malaria during her pregnancy.
Through community-based distribution of SP, TIPTOP will be working in Kenge to increase IPTp coverage of pregnant women so that women like Mambwene are more likely to receive 3 doses of IPTp during pregnancy. See figure below.
Photo by Kate Holt/Jhpiego
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